| Official Name: | Brezovica pri Metliki |
| Pushpin Map: | Slovenia |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Slovenia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Slovenia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Traditional region |
| Subdivision Name1: | White Carniola |
| Subdivision Type2: | Statistical region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Southeast Slovenia |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Metlika |
| Area Total Km2: | 0.77 |
| Population As Of: | 2002 |
| Population Total: | 57 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Religions |
| Coordinates: | 45.6913°N 15.3034°W |
| Elevation M: | 363.8 |
| Postal Code: | 8331 |
| Footnotes: | [1] |
Brezovica pri Metliki (in Slovenian pronounced as /ˈbɾéːzɔʋitsa pɾi mɛˈtlìːki/) is a settlement in the Municipality of Metlika in the White Carniola area of southeastern Slovenia, right on the border with Croatia. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region.[2] It surrounds the small Croatian enclave of Brezovica Žumberačka.[3] [4] [5]
The name of the settlement was changed from Brezovica to Brezovica pri Metliki in 1953.[6]
During the Second World War, the Partisans operated an underground mimeograph print shop in a vineyard cottage in Brezovica pri Metliki. The cottage was burned by Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia forces in 1942.[7] On 1 May 1944 the Partisans held a political meeting in the village that was attended by the Allied liaison officer Major William M. Jones, who was also a speaker at the event.[7]
In 2015, the complex border line in this area attracted the attention of the Polish tourist Piotr Wawrzynkiewicz, who learned from Wikipedia that there was a small unclaimed piece of land and claimed it for his micronation Kingdom of Enclava. The novelty attracted significant international media attention at the time.[8] [9] Later, the Slovene Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this was Slovenia's territorial claim, also claimed by Croatia, to be resolved by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, in which a decision was rendered 29 June 2017. Therefore, the founder moved his micronation to the border between Croatia and Serbia, in the vicinity of Liberland.[10]
One enclave (Brezovica Žumberačka) belonging to Croatia had already existed at this location (see diagram). A second enclave was created on 29 June 2017 when the Permanent Court of Arbitration decided that a disputed 2.4 ha parcel adjoining the enclave is part of Slovenia, thus completing the encirclement of the second Croatian enclave.[11] It was this parcel that had been claimed as Enclava. Croatia has stated that it will ignore the arbitration decision.[12]